THIS COURSE IS NOT AN OPTION FOR INDEPENDENT STUDY


review Abiotic, Biotic and the Characteristics of Life.




make sure to create a mural that addresses ALL of the characteristics of life. You will post this mural and discuss it with classmates in class.



REVIEW BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES




  1. Select one of the tasks to complete
  2. Get teacher approval to start the task (signature needed)
  3. Complete the task
  4. Turn in your work for grading.
  5. You may choose to do additional tasks if you are working toward 1.0 credit


TASK OPTIONS
A) Complete the biogeochemical cycles self-guided packet. Answer all of the questions in the packet and color all of the diagrams.


OR
B) Create a poster, booklet, power point, glog or presentation on the Carbon cycle, the Water cycle and the Nitrogen cycle. Be sure to address the following:
  • Where on Earth does the cycle occurs?
  • What living & non-living organisms are involved in the cycle? What are their roles?
  • How long does the cycle take?
  • Why is the cycle important to living things?
  • How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration part of the cycle?
  • How do humans affect the cycle?
OR
C) Write a story, play or song about a biogeochemical cycle and then record it using your ipad (imovie, for example). Submit the recording and the script to the teacher. Keep the final product in the time range of 2-5 minutes. You may be as creative as you like, but must provide a scientifically accurate portrayal of the cycle itself.
OR
D) Create a current Events portfolio involving a biogeochemical cycle (or cycles). Locate 5 current event articles, news casts or pod casts. Write a document analysis for each source. Write a 3 paragraph summary of the information you find and your reaction to it.
sample of a review:



REVIEW PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Learning Targets: You will be able to...
  • Explain why people care about / need to learn about photosynthesis in science class
    State the reactants and products of photosynthesis.
  • Summarize the process of photosynthesis.
  • Identify the similarities and differences between the light reaction and Calvin Cycle.
  • Create a learning document to share your understanding of photosynthesis

Answer this question and send your response to the teacher:
In 1648, a Flemish alchemist, Jan van Helmont, had a theory. To test it, he grew a tree in a tub of soil, adding nothing but measured quantities of water for five years. During that time he kept track of the weigh of the soil and the tree. At the end of the experiment the tree had gained 164 pounds and the soil had lost 2 ounces. What could von Helmont conclude from his experiment?

Complete this reading and the questions. There are 8 pages, working alone or in your table group, do them all and turn them in to the instructor.


Conduct the interactive: Elodea Photosynthesis in action click on Photosynthesis interactive
1. Complete the experiment. READ all of the instruction in the left panel of the interactive. Choose at least 3 different distances to measure the amount of bubbles produced in 1 minute. RECORD YOUR DATA FOR ONE MINUTE AT EACH DISTANCE. You can repeat this many times. Remember that the more measurements you take at each distance away from the light, the more accurate and reliable your data will be.

2. Plot your results on a graph, with suitable length axes and a meaningful title. Remember to state what is being measured on each axis, and to include units of measurement.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
3. How does the distance from the light source relate to the light intensity?
4. What gas do you think the bubbles contain?
5. Using your data and your graph, describe the trend that it shows. Why do you think this trend occurs?
6. Can you think of any other factors, apart from light intensity, which could affect the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea canadensisHow do these factors affect photosynthesis?
7.How could you improve this experiment to achieve more precise, accurate and reliable results?

Send all of your work to your instructor.




Look back at the Learning Targets and assess your understanding. Check out the videos and other materials to aid your research:

An entertaining quick overview:


what is a chloroplast? Here is a 2 minute summary:


PHotosynthesis, chloroplasts, thylakoids, grana, stoma, the equations, light reactions and the Calvin Cycle explained in 12m


Still need more info??
Watch the video from 0m to 10m38s , but really concentrate during the info shown from 4m07s to 7m38s. The remainder of the video explains and supports the concepts shown in this clip; check them out if you would like.



Invasive or Endangered Organisms Project

  • before you begin this project, review ecological relationships and your food web / energy pyramids

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/symbiosis-a-surprising-tale-of-species-cooperation
follow the link for guiding questions and additional information


http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-sense-of-how-life-fits-together-bobbi-seleski





MiniBiography Project


Research the different branches of life science. Find out what each branch studies and what (general) discoveries they have made / inventions they have created.

Write a mini-biography of an inspiring individual (living or dead ) who has made an important contribution to one of the life sciences. Research and summarize:
  • What motivated the person to dedicate his/her life to science
  • what his/her training was
  • who was influential in his/her life
  • how she/he came to do the work she/he did
  • what difficulties she/he encountered
  • what she/he accomplished
  • how she/he did it
  • what she/he are doing now (if they are still living)
  • Think of other things you would like to know about the person and try to find answers. Think about whether you would like to do something like they did, and what it would take.
  • Write a short biography of this person and present it orally and visually to your class in a way that will help the class understand how important one individual can be to the advancement of science.